The Nikon Creative Lighting System offers a comprehensive selection of revolutionary portable tools to match virtually any need. Whether used for simple on-camera use at a family gathering or in multiple wireless off-camera arrays, Nikon flashes operate in perfect concert with Nikon’s CLS compatible cameras.

Nikon imaging software is as important to imaging excellence as the quality of NIKKOR lenses and the capabilities of Nikon cameras. Powerful, sophisticated Nikon software—a vital link in the chain of creative control of the imaging process.

Whatever your level of experience and with whatever camera brand you shoot, there's a class for you! We will inspire you, help you master new techniques and improve your picture-taking skills by providing clear, direct information on a wide range of technical and creative topics.

Nikon Sport Optics

From casual weekend outings to rainforest excursions to the safari trip of a lifetime, Nikon Sport Optics give you the ability to clearly view every detail in crisp, brilliant color at a respectful distance. Choose from the range of legendary Nikon optics—binoculars, scopes, rangefinders, digiscoping adapters and accessories—for your viewing needs.

Archived Products

As we develop exciting new products, some older products inevitably must be retired, no matter how beloved. Never to be forgotten, we maintain the key information for these products—tech specs, user manuals and more.

DVDs & Books

Nikon Ambassadors are some of the most talented and influential visual artists working in the business today. From workshops to trade show platforms, online learning and social media; Nikon Ambassadors represent the most versatile and ambitious photographers today.

Change your white balance during a sunrise or sunset. Take your camera off auto white balance and switch to Cloudy or Shady white balance. This will add more strength to the reds, oranges and yellows. Auto White Balance tries to keep colors neutral.

Looking for inspiration for your photography? Look no further than Learn & Explore, the area on the Nikonusa website that is packed full of educational articles, how-to tutorials and inspirational pieces on all sorts of photography topics.

Carry your camera manual, especially if your camera is new. When traveling you'll probably have a chance to try some new shots. It can also be the time you’re likely to forget the function of a particular button. Or you may just want to explore all the cool things today’s cameras offer.

Experiment with the white balance settings outside. White balance on your camera will alter the color temperature and appearance you get in your picture. For instance, a CLOUDY setting will give your pictures a warmer cast. The FLUORESCENT setting will make your photographs cooler, skewing to a purple cast.

When traveling abroad, check the power setting and type of plugs. Most modern chargers do both 110 volts (USA) and 220 volts (most of the rest of the world). Check yours, and then pick the right adapter for the plug. Be careful to not use a 110-volt power strip in higher-voltage countries.

Turn on the lights when shooting inside the house. Lamps and overhead lights will brighten any picture indoors. The light will add depth to the picture and often warm up the color. Most importantly, it will brighten up the background.

Be creative with your posing. Don't just line everybody up. Use the steps or the arm of a couch to experiment with some people standing and others sitting. Have kids sitting in laps or someone sitting on the floor or kneeling. Mix it up.

Get yourself in the picture. Nothing is worse than a vacation with no shots of the family photographer. Get in the picture by using a tripod (or a steady surface such as a wall or a car hood) and the camera’s self-timer to make sure you're included in the family memories.

Jump for fun. Have your kids line up for a picture. As the photographer, get low, and get ready to shoot. Have the kids all jump in the air at the same time. Capturing them mid jump can bring out their true personalities.

When photographing a lot of people at a party, use your camera’s Smart Portrait System to help you get better pictures. The blink mode lets you know if your subjects blinked, and the smile timer can snap the photo when the camera sees that your subjects are smiling.

Try turning off your flash at night to get what your eye really sees. If it's at all dark or dim, the camera will try to fire the flash. Find the flash off icon (usually a lightning bolt with a line through it) and select it. Make sure to hold steady, or use a tripod, because the shutter speed may be slow.

Use the pet scene mode when photographing cats and dogs. If your camera doesn’t have a pet mode, disable the audible beeps and focus assist lamps while photographing them so the lights and sounds aren’t a distraction.

Go shooting with a friend. Not only will you add another pair of eyes to find interesting subjects, but you’ll also feed off of each other’s ideas and energy. Try to organize regular shoots in the park. Share lenses or tips on making that unforgettable photo.

Use fill flash to add a little sparkle to your subject’s eyes when shooting portraits outdoors, during the day. Even in bright sunlight, fill flash can even out the lighting for a more pleasing photograph.

Compose photos using the “rule of thirds.” Think of the frame as being broken into nine rectangles (like a tic-tac-toe grid over the picture). Place your subject at one of the intersections of the lines for a more visually stimulating photo.

When shooting an image that has a subject looking off to one side, compose your photograph so there is more space where the subject is looking. This will give your photograph more of a natural feeling.

When shooting landscapes at dusk or nighttime, use a tripod and cable release or self-timer so you can slow down the shutter speed to let in more light. This is the technique used when you see pictures of car lights as lines, not pinpoints.

One of the rules of composition says that horizon lines should not be placed in the center of an image, but closer to the top or bottom of the frame. Sometimes rules are meant to be broken. When you’re photographing a subject and its reflection, its perfectly fine to place the horizon in the center of the frame.

Corporate Profile

Nikon is the world leader in digital imaging, precision optics and photo imaging technology and is globally recognized for setting new standards in product design and performance. The unique strength of the Nikon brand attributable to the company’s unwavering commitment to quality, performance, technology and innovation. Nikon Inc. markets and distributes consumer and professional digital SLR cameras, NIKKOR optics, Speedlights…

Analog to Digital conversion is usually the first stage in the process of converting an analog signal coming from the image sensor via multiple channels into digital data for the image processing and storage of image data. The higher the bit rate of this conversion, the higher the image quality. Nikon D-SLRs typically offer a 16 bit image processing pipeline, which converts images of 12 bit or 14 bit depth quickly and efficiently.

256 bit Encryption is a security protocol that is characterized by key sizes that may be any multiple of 32 bits, both with a minimum of 128 and a maximum of 256 bits. This is a secure and very fast encryption type for both software and computers.

Matrix metering evaluates multiple segments of a scene to determine the best exposure by essentially splitting the scene into sections, evaluating either 420-segments or 1,005 segments, depending on the Nikon D-SLR in use. The 3D Color Matrix Meter II takes into account the scene's contrast and brightness, the subject's distance (via a D- or G-type NIKKOR lens), the color of the subject within the scene and RGB color values in every section of the scene. 3D Color Matrix Metering II also uses special exposure-evaluation algorithms, optimized for digital imaging, that detect highlight areas. The meter then accesses a database of over 30,000 actual images to determine the best exposure for the scene. Once the camera receives the scene data, its powerful microcomputer and the database work together to provide the finest automatic exposure control available.

An invaluable feature for sports, action and wildlife photography, 3D focus tracking, available in select Nikon D-SLRs, automatically shifts the focus point to follow the movement of the subject. With the shutter release pressed halfway, you'll see in the viewfinder the lens continuously maintain focus as the subject moves.

However, maintaining focus doesn't guarantee a sharp image, as there is a short time lag between the release of the shutter and the capture of the picture. To solve this problem, the focus tracking system is a predictive system that uses special algorithms to forecast the position of the subject at the moment the image is captured. The prediction is based on a measurement of the subject's movement and speed.

Simple predictive tracking is very effective for pictures of a subject moving at constant speed toward the camera, but to provide maximum focusing performance for a subject that abruptly changes direction at high speed, or a subject with low contrast, moving randomly, the AF system must accumulate subject location data using multiple focus areas. The AF modules built into selected Nikon D-SLRs have as many as 51 focus areas that can detect vertical, horizontal and diagonal movement of the subject.

To realize high-precision AF for high-speed continuous shooting of a fast-moving subject, the processing speed of the AF cycle is vital. To provide that speed, a Nikon proprietary technology called overlap servo prepares for the focus detection of the next shot while the lens-driving operation for the current shot is in process.

The 3D-tracking AF-Area Mode is an AF-Area Mode that is available in select Nikon digital cameras. When the user is in either AF-A or AF-C focus modes, the user selects the focus point. As long as the shutter button is kept pressed halfway, if the subject moves after the camera has focused, the camera uses 3D-tracking to select a new focus point and keep the focus locked on the original subject. If the subject leaves the viewfinder, remove your finger from the shutter release button and recompose the photograph with the subject in the selected focus point.

4K is an emerging standard for digital motion picture resolution. The standard is so named because it refers to its approx. 4,000 pixels of horizontal resolution. 4K incorporates a number of aspect ratios that all utilize 4,000 pixels of horizontal resolution x differing numbers of pixels of vertical resolution. This is contrary to the standard HD resolutions of 720p and 1080p which represent the number of vertical pixels.

A movie option that is available in select cameras such as the Nikon 1 V3. Record a 4-second movie clip. Multiple clips can be joined into a single movie using the Combine 4-second movies option in the playback menu.

Available in selected Nikon D-SLRs, the 51-point AF system positions 51 points of focus within the frame to allow photographers to choose a variety of focus configurations to suit the shooting situation.

The 51-area grid forms a wide rectangle across the frame, with minimal spacing between each AF area. The system keeps even quick-moving subjects in focus across a wide extent of the frame. The 15 points of the three center rows of focus points employ cross-type sensors for powerful focus detection.

The flash uses its sensor to control the flash output in combination with data automatically transmitted from the camera and lens to the flash including the ISO sensitivity, aperture, focal length and exposure compensation value.

An aberration prevents light from being brought into sharp focus. The ideal image by lenses (especially photographic lenses), must fulfill three key conditions, namely, 1. all light from the point object must be focused to a single point on the image plane (film or digital sensor); 2. when the object plane is perpendicular to the optical axis, the image plane must also be perpendicular; and 3. the object and the image (on the film or imaging sensor) must closely resemble each other. In reality, however, light refraction by the lens causes a variety of defects in the image, called aberration.

The five most common types in aberration are SEIDEL's five aberrations, which occur even with monochromatic (single-wavelength) light. In addition, there are also two types of chromatic aberrations, which are caused by more than one frequency. It is impossible to eliminate them all, but in the lens design process, they can be controlled and balanced to provide the best possible result for that lens and application. This is handled by material (glass) selection, shape and positioning.

A mode incorporated into select cameras such as the Nikon COOLPIX AW100 and AW110 digital cameras and the Nikon 1 AW1. When the action control is set to ON, you can control certain functions of the camera simply by swinging it in the air. The default setting is HIGH, which means that even if the camera is shaken by a small amount, it will register. When set to LOW, a large amount of movement is needed to register by the camera.

Active D-Lighting optimizes high contrast images to restore the shadow and highlight details that are often lost when strong lighting increases the contrast between bright and dark areas of an image. It can be set to operate automatically or manually, and it's also possible to bracket pictures to get one with Active D-Lighting and one without.

Active D-Lighting's image optimization, which takes place in the camera at the moment the photo is taken, applies digital processing only to the necessary portion(s) of the image. Even when shooting a subject with a wide dynamic range, Active D-Lighting is able to reproduce a realistic image that retains natural contrast.

Add a Bubble Effect is a special effect found in select Nikon COOLPIX cameras such as the S32, it allows you to add a bubble effect to your images, so your subject will look as if it is projected on a bubble. A guide will be displayed in the monitor, and you simply compose your shot so the subject is within the guide.

Add Starbursts is a Picture Play feature that is available on select COOLPIX digital cameras. Choosing it will cause star-like rays of light to radiate outward from bright objects such as sunlight reflections or street lights. This effect is suitable for night scenes.

Bracketing automatically varies a given set of variables dependent upon which type of bracketing is chosen. Use bracketing in situations where it may be difficult to set exposure or to experiment with different settings for the same subject. ADL Bracketing is Active D-Lighting Bracketing and when chosen it takes one photo with Active D-Lighting off and another one at the current Active D-Lighting setting.

Bracketing automatically varies a given set of variables dependent upon which type of bracketing is chosen. Use bracketing in situations where it may be difficult to set exposure or to experiment with different settings for the same subject. AE Bracketing will bracket the exposure over a series of three photographs. The first shot is unmodified, the second shot has a reduced exposure and the third shot has the exposure increased.

Nikon's three AF Area Modes—Single Point AF, Dynamic Area AF and Auto Area AF—are designed to handle any shooting situation. With good light control and a static subject, Single Point AF ensures that the most important element in the composition, such as the eyes in a portrait, will be sharply focused. With Dynamic Area AF, you can select from several focusing options: 9-, 21- or all 51-point AF. Select a Single AF point and the areas surrounding it serve as backup—a significant advantage when shooting moving subjects. Select the 9-point option when you want to focus on erratically moving subjects with greater accuracy. When dealing with insufficient contrast for fast focus detection, choosing 21 or 51 points makes detection easier. The 51-point option also allows for 3D Focus Tracking, which uses color information from the RGB metering sensor to automatically follow moving subjects across the AF points. Auto Area AF uses color information and special face recognition algorithms to automatically focus on an individual's face, which is extremely helpful when there's simply no time to select a focus point, or when using Live View in hand-held mode at high or low angles.

A beam of light automatically activated to provide the camera's autofocus system the necessary light to operate in poorly lit situations. The AF assist illuminator's light does not appear in the picture.

Focusing is driven by a "Silent Wave" motor in the lens instead of the focus drive motor in the camera. AF-S lenses focus faster than standard AF-NIKKORs and almost completely silently. AF-S lenses with a "II" designation weigh less and are generally smaller than their equivalent predecessors.

An Assist GPS (A.GPS) file is an updated file of GPS data that can be downloaded from the web and uploaded into select Nikon digital cameras to shorten the time needed by the camera to track the GPS positioning information. The website housing the A.GPS file is http://nikonimglib.com/agps/index.html. Once you download the file to your computer, follow the instructions in your camera's manual.

AI became standard on Nikon cameras and NIKKOR lenses in 1977. Non-AI lenses coupled to the camera's meter through a system that required a pin on the camera to be mated to a slotted prong on the lens before the lens was mounted, then the aperture ring on the lens had to be turned from one extreme to the other to index the meter to the maximum aperture of the lens. AI eliminates this entire procedure because meter coupling and indexing occur automatically when the lens is mounted on the camera. Most AI lenses made until a few years ago were also supplied with the coupling prong so they would be compatible with either metering system.

Airplane Mode disables all wireless or GPS connections on a camera. Select Nikon COOLPIX cameras have built-in GPS or wireless connectivity and must be placed in airplane mode when flying in a plane, in hospitals and other such locations.

AI-S coupling is a refinement of AI and became standard on NIKKOR lenses in 1982. The diaphragm action in an AI-S lens is compatible with Nikon cameras that allow the aperture to be controlled from the camera, as is required for programmed and shutter-priority automatic exposure control. All AF-NIKKOR lenses, as well as most manual-focus NIKKOR lenses made since 1982, are AI-S.

A/M stands for Auto-Priority Manual Mode. This mode also enables an easy transition from autofocus to manual during AF operation. However, mode switch sensitivity has been altered to reduce the possibility of sudden unintentional switching to manual focus while shooting.

A-M stands for Auto-Manual Mode. Thanks to a mechanism incorporated in the lens barrel, smooth focusing operation in Manual focus mode is realized in the same way as users have become accustomed to with conventional manual-focus lenses by adding an appropriate torque to the focus ring.

The angle of light hitting a surface. A basic rule of physics says that the angle of incidence equals the angle of reflectance, which means that the angle of the light coming towards the surface is the same as the angle of light reflected off of the surface. For example, if light hitting a surface came from a light source that was on a 45 degree angle from the surface, the light reflecting off of the surface would travel on a 45 degree angle as well.

The circular opening inside the lens that can change in diameter to control the amount of light reaching a camera's sensor or film. The diameter is expressed in numbers called f/stops; the lower the number, the larger the aperture opening.

APS-C stands for Advanced Photo System-type C, which is an image sensor format that is equivalent to approximately the size of the Advanced Photo System negative (25.1x16.7mm). The Nikon DX format image sensor is an APS-C format sensor.

A lens with a curved, non-spherical surface. Used to reduce aberrations and enable a more compact lens size. Aspherical lenses minimize coma and other types of lens aberrations, even when used at the widest aperture. They are particularly useful in correcting distortion in wide-angle lenses and help contribute to a lighter, more compact design by reducing the number of standard (spherical) elements necessary. Aspherical lens elements correct these distortions by continuously changing the refractive index from the center of the lens.

Astrophotography is the specialized type of photography done of the night sky, stars, planets, and other celestial objects. Lunar and Solar eclipses as well as star trails also fall under Astrophotography. Specialized equipment may be necessary in photographing certain celestial subjects like telescopes, solar filters, etc.

Using a visual display or auditory (using headphones) to monitor audio levels. This helps keep audio levels at their optimum level. It also helps to minimize degradation. Volume Unit (VU Meter) and Peak Program (PPM Meter) are common types of meters used to measure audio levels. They can be hardware or software based; regardless of type, the scale and ballistics of the meter are important characteristics.

Auto Area AF is one of Nikon's AF Area Modes. Auto Area AF uses color information and special face recognition algorithms to automatically focus on an individual's face, which is extremely helpful when there's simply no time to select a focus point, or when using Live View in hand-held mode at high or low angles.

Auto FP High Speed Sync is a flash mode used for fill-flash photography under brightly lit conditions. It will fill in and open up shadowed areas in order to portray the greatest detail in subjects. It's also ideal when using wide aperture lenses, and because it allows fast shutter speeds—up to fastest shutter speeds on compatible Nikon D-SLRs—it is often used for action-stopping sports photography. And for portraits, you can open up your lenses to their full aperture in order to isolate your subject against a blurred background without overexposing the image.

When Auto FP High Speed Sync is selected, the flash will fire for the duration of the shutter curtain's travel, thus syncing with the camera's shutter speed when that speed is set higher than the camera's normal sync speed.

Auto ISO or ISO Auto is a feature that allows you to tell the camera to choose which ISO to use if certain parameters are met. For instance, when there is enough light to use ISO 100, the camera does so, but when it would have to use too slow a shutter speed, then it automatically increases the ISO to 200 and maintains a high enough shutter speed to avoid camera shake. Some Nikon digital cameras let you choose from a range that you're willing to shoot within, such as ISO 400 – 800.

In AF-A or Auto-servo AF, the camera automatically selects Single-servo autofocus if the subject is stationary or Continuous-servo AF if the subject is moving. The shutter will only be released (snap a photo) if the camera is able to focus.

Auto Slow Sync Red-Eye is a flash mode that combines Red-Eye reduction with Slow Sync. It is used when shooting portraits against a backdrop of night scenery. Use of a tripod is suggested, to prevent blurring caused by camera shake.

In Nikon D-SLRs, Auto White Balance combines with the Scene Recognition System to analyze each scene's light sources, cross-referencing this information with 5,000 actual picture data examples from over 20,000 images in the camera's onboard white balance database.

A digital camera's white balance setting compensates for the different colors of various light sources—fluorescent, which has a "green" cast, or a cooler-than-daylight light balance; incandescent, which has a "yellow" or a warmer-than-daylight white balance; and daylight—so that white objects in a scene appear white regardless of the color temperature (the warmth or coolness) of the light source. Even under mixed lighting or difficult light sources like mercury vapor lights, auto white balance technology calculates an ideal white balance for remarkably faithful colors.

A safety precaution against losing precious image or other electronic data. You can back-up one image file or an entire computer's worth of data. Back-up options include CDs/DVDs, external hard disk drives, and online storage sites such as Nikon Image Space Nikonimagespace.com website. If the original file(s) are lost or corrupted, you can restore them with a back-up copy.

Select Nikon battery chargers, which are used for newer rechargeable Lithium Ion batteries, are equipped with a battery calibration feature. Calibrate the battery as required to ensure the accuracy of the camera and charger battery level displays.

A scene mode available on select Nikon digital cameras, designed for use when taking photos of snow in bright sunlight or brightly lit sandy beaches, ensuring the exposure is correct for the bright scene.

A flexible, light-proof enclosure placed between the camera and the lens for close-up and macro photography. The desired reproduction ratio can be obtained by adjusting the bellows. Provides a higher reproduction ratio than extension rings.

This mode, available on select Nikon 1 digital cameras is ideal for fast, hard to capture subjects. By selecting this mode, you can choose to release the shutter as the scene plays back in slow motion (Slow View) or let the camera choose the best shot (Smart Photo Selector).

Bi-directional (B) frames are encoded based on an interpolation from I- and P-frames that come before and after them. B-frames require little space, but can take longer to decompress because they're reliant on frames that may be reliant on other frames. A Group of Pictures (GOP) can begin with a B-frame, but can't end with one.

Bird Watching Mode is a Scene Mode available in select Nikon COOLPIX digital cameras such as the P600. This Scene Mode will assist you in taking photos of birds in the wild. When chosen, this mode allows you to select Single or Continuous.

When using this feature, the camera detects that a human subject may have closed their eyes immediately after it recognizes the face. When this happens, the "Did someone blink?" screen will be displayed on the monitor to check the picture taken.

Bluetooth is a proprietary open wireless technology standard that is used for the exchange of data over short distances. Bluetooth can connect several devices together, whether fixed or mobile. Bluetooth is often used to connect wireless communication devices (cellphones) with other devices such as an earpiece/microphone for talking on a Bluetooth compatible cellular phone. The COOLPIX S800c digital camera offers Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity.

Blu-ray (BD) is an optical disk storage medium superseding the DVD format. It can store six times more data than a DVD. The name refers to the blue laser used to read the disk. Blu-ray disks normally have a capacity of 25 gigabytes. Double sided Blu-ray disks have a capacity of 50 gigabytes.

When photographing a portrait subject, broad lighting is the technique whereby you place the main light on the side of the face which is facing the camera and light source. It is often used to give a fuller look to the subject's face.

An exclusive Nikon technology, Best Shot Selector automatically selects the image with the sharpest focus from a series of up to ten consecutive images; only the sharpest shot is saved to the memory card.

When Best Shot Selector is chosen, a series of images are stored in the camera's memory where they are evaluated by the camera's computer. The single image with the highest level of detail is then automatically transferred to the memory card.

The action of the digital camera preloading data into a reserved area of its memory. Certain Nikon cameras feature modes that utilize the buffering of image or video data specific to the chosen mode.

With regards to the Nikon 1 camera system, the camera fills the buffer with data before the shutter is fully depressed. When using the Smart Photo Selector mode, the camera stores this pre-recorded data and can access it if the data holds the best shots taken. When using the Motion Snapshot mode, the video captured before and after the still image is captured is stored in the camera's buffer for use in creating the final Motion Snapshot.

A shutter speed setting that holds the shutter open for as long as the shutter release button remains pressed. Commonly used for long time-exposures. When using the Bulb setting, use a cable release to make sure you don't cause camera shake.

A lighting technique that is flattering when used with most portrait subjects. It is called Butterfly lighting because of the distinctive butterfly shaped shadow that is present under the subject's nose from the placement of the light(s). The main light is placed above and in the same direction the subject is facing and so produces even, soft light.

Nikon software that provides simplified remote control of Nikon D-SLR cameras from a personal computer. Picture Control Utility: In certain Nikon digital SLRs such as the D3, D700, D300, D90, D3100 and D7000, customized image adjustment, including tone compensation curve data, can be saved to tailor the camera's behavior to the photographer's vision, improving efficiency when using multiple cameras at the same time. Software is compatible with Wi-Fi operation. Also compatible with Nikon's Image Authentication Function. For more information about Camera Control Pro 2, click here.

A device used by photographers to read the image data on media cards. A card reader connects to computer via USB or FireWire and allows for the fast and easy downloading of image data from the card to the computer. It is more efficient than connecting the camera to the computer via USB to view or download images.

A scene mode available on select Nikon digital cameras. The Child scene mode is used for photographing snapshots of children; skin tones will appear natural and soft while clothing and backgrounds will be vivid.

A phenomenon in which light rays passing through a lens focus at different points, depending on their wavelength. Axial chromatic aberration is a variation in focal length; lateral chromatic aberration, a variation in magnification. Lateral chromatic aberration: Light wavelengths differ depending upon color. Differences in the length of the wavelengths result in changes in image magnification and become visible at image peripheries. Lateral Chromatic Aberration is the cause of color fringing. Lateral chromatic aberration is reduced to some degree by combining different lens elements with different refractive indexes, but optically speaking, it cannot be completely eliminated. In addition to red and its complimentary color, cyan, and blue and its complimentary color, yellow, some lenses may exhibit complex color fringing that combines these two primary types. It is greatly reduced by low-dispersion ED glass.

A person who uses a motion picture camera to record the actual film footage shot during the making of a motion picture. Director of Photography is an equivalent title. On large budget "Hollywood" productions, cinematographers or director's of photography are responsible for the artistic and technical decisions related to capture of the film (or digital video, as many of today's motion pictures are being recorded using digital capture devices.)

The Camera & Imaging Product Association (CIPA) is an organization that conducts performance testing on photographic equipment and provides standard measurement results. Nikon Inc. uses the CIPA Standard when providing information on the shots per charge battery information for its cameras.
Example: A Nikon D3S equipped with an AF-S NIKKOR 24-70mm f/2.8G ED lens, captured 4,200 images when measured at 23 degrees C/73.4 degrees F (plus or minus 2 degrees C/3.6 degrees F) under the following test conditions: lens cycled from infinity to minimum range and one photograph taken at default settings once every 30 seconds. Live view not used.
Real life results will vary depending on factors such as temperature, use conditions and the number of times the battery is recharged.

In photography, the circle of confusion (CoC) is used to determine the depth of field, the part of an image that is acceptably sharp. A standard value of CoC is often associated with each image format, but the most apprpriate value depends on visual acuity, viewing conditions and the amount of enlargement. Properly, this is the maximum permissible circle of confusion diameter limit, or the circle of confusion criterion, but is simply called circle of confusion.

Real lenses do not focus all rays perfectly, and so, even at best focus, a point is imaged as a spot rather than a point. The smallest such spot that a lens can produce is often referred to as the circle of least confusion.

This innovative technology improves screen visibility for a more vivid, clear image when taking and sharing pictures. Reflections are minimized while contrast and power savings are improved. (In select COOLPIX models).

These lenses provide an easy way to increase magnification. Even when attached, you can use automatic exposure control and TTL metering. All lenses are treated with Nikon Integrated Coating to improve contrast and reduce flare. The higher the close-up lens number, the closer you can focus.

Cloudy is a white balance setting. When manually setting the white balance on your digital camera, and shooting under cloudy lighting conditions you use the cloudy setting to balance the available light so it is captured correctly by the camera.

Complementary metal-oxide semiconductor, one of the two main types of image sensors used in digital cameras. The Nikon COOLPIX CMOS image sensor with a backside illumination structure increases the amount of light that each pixel receives. The resulting improvement in noise and sensitivity reduction makes the select COOLPIX cameras more capable when shooting night scenes or in dark indoor situations. CMOS Technology provides Full HD 1080p movie recordings.

If the white balance of a scene does not match the lighting under which the scene is being photographed, a color cast can occur. For example, daylight is normally cooler than incandescent lighting, so if you photograph a subject lit by an incandescent light and the white balance of the camera is set for daylight, the image will look warmer because that type of lighting is warmer (orangeish) in color than daylight. If the camera was set for incandescent and you photograph a subject in daylight, the image would look cooler (blueish). When shooting RAW (NEF), you can readjust the white balance in Nikon Capture NX2 in post production.

A Special Effect available on certain Nikon D-SLR cameras. The camera detects and colors the outlines of subjects in the scene for a color sketch effect. When shooting D-movies in this mode, the video playback looks like a slide show made up of a series of still photos.

One of Seidel's five aberrations. The image of a point source of light is prevented from being brought into focus, but instead appears shaped as a comet or teardrop. Coma can be reduced by stopping down the lens.

For cameras that offer this feature (check your manual to see if yours offers this feature) the D-SLR's built-in flash or external accessory Speedlight can be set to Commander mode, which makes that flash the master flash, controlling remote (optional) flash units in one or more groups.

A type of storage card, available in a range of capacities, that's used in digital cameras to store images captured by the camera. The card can be erased when the images have been transferred or are no longer needed.

Special care should be taken when changing lenses in order to avoid the possibility of dirt or dust entering the camera. Once inside the camera, foreign matter may adhere to the low-pass filter and show up in photographs. To help prevent the appearance of these artifacts in photographs Nikon has created the Comprehensive Dust Reduction System. This system uses a series of high resonance frequencies to vibrate the optical low-pass filter. This dislodges dust on the front of the sensor and reduces dust spots appearing on images. This system combined with the existing Image Dust Off system in Capture NX 2 provides a full dust prevention system for photographers.

Sensor cleaning can be set to be performed manually when required by selecting the 'Clean now' setting, or automatically by selecting the 'Clean at startup/shutdown' setting. The 'Clean at startup/shutdown' setting has options for when the camera automatically performs an automatic sensor clean, either each time the camera is turned on, turned off or both.

Sensor cleaning takes approximately three seconds to complete. If the shutter release is depressed during a sensor clean, cleaning will be cancelled. This enables images to be taken even if a sensor clean has started.

Refers to reducing the quality of digital data in an effort to conserve storage space. For example, the JPEG file format is a compressed format. Certain Nikon cameras that offer RAW capture, using the Nikon Electronic File format (NEF) can

Continuous is one of the shooting options found in the Auto Mode of select Nikon digital cameras. Continuous allows you to take a series of pictures. Depending upon your camera model, the battery life and remaining memory in the buffer Continuous High lets you take more frames per second than Continuous Low; however if the flash is fired, only one picture will be taken.

Continuous is one of the shooting options found in the Auto Mode of select Nikon digital cameras. Continuous allows you to take a series of pictures. Depending upon your camera model, the battery life and remaining memory in the buffer Continuous Low lets you take fewer frames per second than Continuous High; however if the flash is fired, only one picture will be taken.

A measure of the rate of an image's change of brightness. High contrast implies dark black and bright white content; medium contrast, a good spread from black to white; low contrast, a small spread of values from black to white.

The Close-Range Correction (CRC) system is one of Nikon's most important focusing innovations, for it provides superior picture quality at close focusing distances and increases the focusing range. With CRC, the lens elements are configured in a "floating element" design wherein each lens group moves independently to achieve focusing. This ensures superior lens performance even when shooting at close distances. The CRC system is used in fisheye, wide-angle, micro and selected medium telephoto NIKKOR lenses.

The Close-Range Correction (CRC) system is one of Nikon's most important focusing innovations, for it provides superior picture quality at close focusing distances and increases the focusing range. With CRC, the lens elements are configured in a "floating element" design wherein each lens group moves independently to achieve focusing. This ensures superior lens performance even when shooting at close distances. The CRC system is used in fisheye, wide-angle, micro and selected medium telephoto NIKKOR lenses.

The Creative Mode is a shooting mode found on the mode dial of the Nikon 1 J2 camera. A variety of scene modes are available within the Creative Mode including: P/S/A/M, Night Landscape, Night Portrait, Backlighting (HDR), Easy Panorama, Soft (filter effect), Miniature Effect, and Selective Color. The Creative Mode is only for shooting still images, and will not work in movies mode.

Creative Palette puts creativity at a photographer’s fingertips, by allowing you to modify the look of a photo via the touchscreen LCD or multi-selector before you shoot. This is a new feature in the Nikon 1 V3. The camera will automatically detect one of four scenes: portrait, close-up, landscape or other and will then display a ring showing four effects that can be applied to the scene. Brightness, saturation and white balance will change between the different effects as a finger is rotated around the ring or the multi-selector is rotated, so what you see is what you get.

One of Seidel's five aberrations. Curvature of Field is a phenomenon in which straight lines are not rendered perfectly straight in the picture. Curvature of field can be improved but not eliminated by stopping down the lens.

A lens which allows the photographer to control the degree of spherical aberration in the foreground or background by rotating the lens' DC ring. This will create a rounded out-of-focus blur that is ideal for portrait photography. With the DC control set at zero, a DC-Nikkor lens operates in the same way as a non-DC lens with the same focal length and maximum aperture. A DC-NIKKOR lens will be labeled as such on the lens barrel.

The Delayed Remote mode is used when shooting with select Nikon cameras and the ML-L3 remote control, to ensure no camera shake will occur. The Delayed Remote sets the camera's shutter to release between 2 - 10 seconds after the shutter button on the ML-L3 remote control is pressed.

Available in select cameras such as the Nikon 1 AW1. Calibrate the Depth Gauge on the surface before you enter the water, setting it to zero. Then, you can view your depth while you’re shooting or even include it in the EXIF data that is recorded along with the image.

Technique of taking film or digital still images or video by attaching a camera to a Fieldscope or Spotting Scope. In addition to camera equipment, Nikon also manufactures Fieldscopes, and the array of attachments and adapters necessary to marry our Fieldscopes to Nikon COOLPIX and Nikon D-SLRs. Digiscoping lets you capture photographs without the use of traditional photographic lenses. Bird watchers and naturalists are some of the people who capture close-up images of wildlife by digiscoping.

The digital zoom uses software interpolation to "zoom" into the image further than the actual optical zoom lens in the camera allows. Because digital zooms use interpolation instead of an actual zoom lens, the resulting image will be of lower quality.

A measure of lens power equal to the reciprocal of the focal length. Eyeglass prescriptions are generally indicated in diopters. For cameras, the diopter is used as the measure of the dioptric power for the image in the viewfinder.